In the aftermath of the Boston Marathon attacks on Monday, Melrose residents are sharing their firsthand accounts and planning ways to heal as a community.

Lisa Guerriero and Jessica Sacco/ melrose@wickedlocal.com

In the aftermath of the Boston Marathon attacks on Monday, Melrose residents are sharing their firsthand accounts and planning ways to heal as a community.

Since the attacks, Melrose residents have been posting on Facebook and Twitter to share updates on loved ones. On Monday, it was often the only way to share the news, since many phone lines were jammed, and runners and spectators couldn’t be reached.

Hallmark Health System offered free counseling on Tuesday and Wednesday, which was just the beginning of Melrose’s attempts to help respond to the tragedy. Temple Beth Shalom is planning a healing service on Friday, and the city will hold a special event next week. (Click on the links, at left, for details.)

Accounts from the marathon

Melrose resident Patty Rushton and her children were at the finish line to greet her husband, Jeffrey Rushton, when the bombs went off. Patty Rushton said she heard two explosions.

She spoke to Jeffrey through the barriers after he crossed the finish line, but they lost track of each other as chaos broke out.

“I couldn’t catch him, people were running at him,” she said. “He’d just run 26 miles and now he had to run again.”

Patty and her children ran to Downtown Crossing, where they were told the MBTA station was closed, but that the State Street station might be open. They headed to State “and got the heck out of there,” taking an Orange Line train home to Melrose.

Her husband was able to get back to his car and was heading back to Melrose at about 5:30 p.m. on Monday.

A group of runners from Melrose Boot Camp (MBC) participated in the marathon, and all are safe, MBC trainer Joy Fay said on Monday.

By the time Fay crossed the finish line, the explosions had already happened. Some of the crowd was “somber,” while others, unaware of what was happening, were still cheering the runners.

As word spread, the mood of the crowd changed. Fay described it as a “domino effect” as runners and spectators began swapping information and hurrying to call loved ones.

“The energy completely changed, from ‘woo-hoo’ to I couldn’t even smile,” she said.

The authorities, including police and National Guard, were unable to tell the runners what was happening.

Fay and several of her friends and colleagues walked to a nearby hotel, which they’d booked before the race. MBC trainer Stacey Suntken, of Wakefield, was at the hotel, and MBC runner Courtney Koschei got to Saugus home safe and sound, Fay said.

“I’m still in shock … but we’re all safe,” she said.

Linda Sheehan, an MBC participant, wasn’t competing in the marathon, but met Fay at Mile 20 and ran to the end with her. Sheehan had a cell phone with her and was able to make some calls for herself and for Fay, to notify loved ones they were OK.

With Boston shut down on Monday, the Melrose Boot Camp wasn’t sure when they’d be able to come home to Melrose, but Fay said they were safe at the hotel.

About 40 Melrose residents were signed up to participate in the marathon this year. About a dozen of them belong to the Melrose Running Club, which also sends members every year to the foot of Heartbreak Hill to cheer on runners.

As of Tuesday, Jason Doucette of the Melrose Running Club said they’d heard back from all the club members who participated in the race.

Some of them weren’t able to check in on Monday, likely because they didn’t have access to their cell phones or the phone lines were down.

“Their bags are in one spot by the finish line, so they can’t call us,” he said on Monday.

Doucette said some of the Melrose runners were stopped by the authorities on Exeter Street, before they reached the finish line.

Runners, spectators reach out to loved ones

Melrose resident Jen Keefe said she was around the 25-mile mark when a man told her and surrounding runners the marathon was over.

“I didn’t see anything, I had no idea,” Keefe recalled. “This guy was saying there was a bomb and I was like, ‘what?’”

Keefe’s husband and children were at the finish line and although police wanted the runners to stay put and wait for the buses that would take them to safety, she sprinted ahead to find her family.

“I just had this sick feeling,” she said. “I needed to see that they were OK.”

When she reached them, Keefe said she was elated to see everyone was fine. From there, they headed to Wentworth Institute of Technology, where a friend picked them up and brought them home.

Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce Joan Ford-Mongeau was also at the marathon with her daughter, Julia.

They were in the VIP stands waiting for Ford-Mongeau’s husband, Peter, who was running his first Boston Marathon, to cross the finish line.

Ford-Mongeau said she and Julia saw the first bomb explode. The second went off behind Peter, who was at Mile 26.

“It was something I will honestly never forget and I can’t believe anyone did this to our beautiful marathon,” she said.

Ford-Mongeau and her daughter then headed to Essex Street, where they texted Peter.

“We knew he was close,” said Ford-Mongeau.

The pair ended up at the Fairmount Copley Plaza Hotel, while Peter headed to the John Hancock Tower, their family meeting place.

“He was freezing,” said Ford-Mongeau. “He couldn’t get to the tent or get his clothes, so he went to get warm.”

Ford-Mongeau and Julia eventually made it to Peter, who suffered no injuries.